Too close for comfort: Exposure to temporary workers and work performance in European workplaces

Using a large-scale multilevel survey of employees in European workplaces, we examine the consequences of exposure to temporary workers at the establishment, work-unit, and job levels for permanent workers’ task efficiency, extra‑task effort, and perceptions of job demands, job insecurity, and career insecurity. The unique nested design of the survey allows us to assess how these consequences vary by organizational proximity, job autonomy and worker interdependence within work units, and the position of temporary workers in the earnings hierarchy. Our findings show that, regardless of how work is organized, permanent workers experience modest levels of disruption from temporary workers. Proximate exposure appears to affect performance, whereas less proximate exposure primarily heightens job demands and uncertainty perceptions. The presence of temporary workers has the most negative consequences for permanent workers lower in the earnings hierarchy. However, high earners also experience increased job demands and uncertainty when agency workers are present in their work units and establishments.